JP2002501690A - System and method for recording pay television programs - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] The following features are provided in an apparatus and method for processing a plurality of programs having the following features. One program is selected from a plurality of programs for recording. The selected programs are stored in a first program list representing the programs selected for recording. One program may be selected from a plurality of programs for both purchase and recording. The selected programs are stored in a second program list representing the purchased programs. The selected program is also automatically stored in a first program list representing the program selected for recording. Further, when canceling a previously purchased program, it is determined whether it is also in the list of programs selected for the purchased program record. If the record is on the record list, the program is automatically removed from the record list if the purchase is canceled.

Description

Description: System and method for recording pay television programs Field of the invention The present invention relates generally to the field of user interface control of electronic devices, and more particularly, to a system and method for automatically matching program purchases and records. Background of the Invention Electronic devices such as televisions and personal computers require a control system with a user interface system. Typically, a user interface system provides information to a user and simplifies use of the device. One example of a user interface is an electronic menu system of a television system. Menu systems allow users to easily interact and control increasingly complex television systems. For example, DirectTV by Hughes Electronics ^TM Various satellite television receivers are available today for receiving satellite television services directly, such as services. Satellite television offers a variety of services, including pay-per-view. Pay-per-view services allow users to purchase, for example, movies and sports programs in advance. To purchase a pay-per-view program, typically, the user is prompted to select a program to purchase, for example, by a "purchase" screen shown in FIG. 1A. To purchase a program, the user simply enters a unique program ID, such as "2013" assigned by the program provider, as shown in FIG. 1A, and / or a specific channel and You can enter time information. Further, in these satellite broadcast receivers, for example, a user can select a program to be recorded on a VCR connected to the receiver via a “timer” screen shown in FIG. 1B. Once the user has entered the required information (eg, channel number, start time, end time), the receiver will tell the infrared (IR) transmitter to properly control the VCR at a preselected time. Will send instructions to The IR transmitter is basically a remote control emulator of a programmable VCR controlled by a satellite receiver. The IR transmitter is located in front of the VCR remote sensor attached to the VCR, and according to the timer screen information entered by the user, at the appropriate time, under the control of the satellite receiver, such as "ON" or "RECORD". Send instructions. Currently, there is no connection or coordination between the two processes, or between the associated user screen and the record for making a program purchase. That is, for example, a user who wants to purchase and record a program needs to provide information by inputting two separate user screens (for example, a “purchase” and a “timer” screen) separately for purchase processing and recording processing. is there. In addition, since there is no connection between the two processes, a user who wants to cancel the program from the purchase process or the recording process must basically do the same twice. This is time consuming and inefficient. Summary of the Invention It is desirable that the processing of program purchase and the processing of program recording be coordinated and combined. Therefore, an apparatus and a method for processing a plurality of programs are provided with the following features. The program may be selected from a plurality of programs for recording. The selected programs are stored in a first program list representing the programs selected for recording. The program may also be selected from multiple programs for both purchase and record. The selected programs are stored in a second program list representing the programs selected for purchase. The selected program is automatically stored in a first program list representing the program selected for recording. Further, when canceling a previously purchased program, it is also checked whether the purchased program is in a first program list representing the program selected for recording and a decision is made. If so, the program will automatically be removed from the record list when the purchase is canceled. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 1A and 1B show a "purchase" screen and a "record" screen of a prior art system, respectively. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a television system suitable for processing user instructions and displaying a typical user interface screen in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a digital video processing device suitable for processing user commands and displaying a typical user interface screen in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a particular embodiment of a digital satellite system suitable for processing user commands and displaying a typical user interface screen in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a program guide for selecting a program. 6A and 6B show a flowchart for processing user commands and displaying a typical user interface screen in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 7 shows an example of a flowchart according to the present invention for clearing a timer for recording a program. FIG. 8 shows an example of a flowchart according to the present invention for canceling the purchase of a program. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface screen that allows a user to purchase and record a selected program. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface screen that displays information about a program selected for purchase in a table. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface screen on which a user selects a program for recording. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface screen for canceling a program previously purchased by a user. Detailed description of the invention FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a television system suitable for processing user instructions and displaying a typical user interface screen in accordance with the present invention. The television receiver shown in FIG. 2 is capable of processing both analog NTSC television signals and Internet information. The system shown in FIG. 1 has a first input 1100 for receiving a television signal RF_IN at an RF frequency, and a second input 1102 for receiving a baseband television signal VIDEO_IN. The signal RF_IN is supplied from a source such as an antenna or a cable system, while the signal VIDEO_IN is supplied from, for example, a video cassette recorder (VCR). Tuner 1105 and IF processor 1130 tune and demodulate a particular television signal contained in signal RF_IN in a conventional manner. IF processor 1130 generates a baseband video signal representing a video program portion of the tuned television signal. IF processor 1130 also generates a baseband audio signal to an audio processing unit (not shown in FIG. 1) for further performing audio processing. FIG. 2 shows an input 1102 of a baseband signal, wherein the television receiver comprises a signal 1105 for generating a second baseband video signal from either the signal RF_IN or a second RF signal source. A second tuner and an IF processor similar to 1130 may be provided. The system shown in FIG. 2 includes a tuner 1105, a picture-in-picture processor 1140, a video signal processor 1155, and a Star. It also has a main microprocessor (mP) 1110 that controls the components of the transceiver. The term "microprocessor" includes, but is not limited to, various devices such as microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, and controllers. The microprocessor 1110 uses the well-known I ^Two Serial bus I using C serial data bus protocol ^Two The system is controlled by transmitting and receiving both instructions and data via the CBUS. More specifically, a central processing unit (CPU) 1112 in the mP 1110 is responsive to instructions given by the user via the IR remote controller 1125 and the IR receiver 1122 to store data in a memory such as an EEPROM 1127 shown in FIG. Execute the control program stored in. For example, activating the “channel up” feature of the remote controller 1125 may result in I ^Two The CPU 1112 sends a “change channel” command and channel data to the tuner 1105 via the C bus. As a result, tuner 1105 tunes to the next channel in the channel scan list. Another example of a control program stored in EEPROM 1127 is software that performs the operations shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7, and 8 in the form of flowcharts described below, in accordance with the present invention. The main microprocessor 1110 also controls the operation of the communication interface unit 1113 for uploading and downloading to and from the Internet. The communication interface unit 1113 includes, for example, a modem that connects to an Internet service provider via, for example, a telephone line or a cable television line. Communication capabilities provide the system shown in FIG. 1 with Internet-related features, such as email and web browsing, in addition to receiving television programs. The CPU 1112 controls functions provided in the mP 1110 via a bus 1119 in the mP 1110. In particular, the CPU 1112 controls the auxiliary data processor 1115 and the on-screen display (OSD) processor 1117. The auxiliary data processor 1115 has a StarSi S for providing program guide data information in known format Channel only, and the television receiver In order not to disturb the normal use of the transceiver, the CPU 1112 may provide a Star by tuning to a particular channel only during times when the television receiver is not normally used (eg, 2:00 am). The decoder 1115 is set so as to extract the held data from the horizontal line period such as. The CPU 1112 outputs the extracted StarSight Convert from Sessa's internal format to module format, In response to the EPG display being activated (eg, when the user presses a particular key on remote control 1125), CPU 1112 may execute Send to D processor 1117. EPG is a two-way, on-screen display feature that displays information similar to a TV column in a local newspaper or other print media. In addition, the EPG also contains the information needed to order and decode programs. The EPG typically provides information about each program within the time frame covered by the EPG, ranging from the next hour to seven days. The information contained in the EPG includes programs such as channel number, program name, start time, end time, elapsed time, remaining time, rating (if enabled), topic, subject, and a brief description of program content. It has the characteristics of The EPG is usually a two-dimensional table or a grid-like format, one axis is time information, and the other axis is channel information. FIG. 5 shows an example of the program guide. Unlike non-interactive guidance, which is on a dedicated channel and only scrolls the next few hours from the current program on other channels, the EPG allows viewers to have a future, for example, up to 7 days At any point in the period, any channel can be selected. In addition, EPG features can highlight individual cells of the grid that contain program information. Once highlighted, the viewer can perform the functions associated with the selected program. For example, if a program is being broadcast, the viewer can immediately switch to the program. If the television is properly set up and connected to a recording device, the viewer can also program One Touch Video Cassette Recording (VCR) or the like. Such EPGs are described and known in, for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 5,353,121, 5,479,268 and 5,479,266 by Young et al. And StarSight Telecast. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,106, to Chaney et al. And the same assignee as the present invention, details an embodiment that includes the data packet structure necessary to implement the example program guide system. . A specific example of a data packet structure is that both channel information (eg, channel name, calling character, channel number, format, etc.) associated with the program and program description information (eg, content, title, rating, actor, etc.) It is designed to be efficiently transmitted from the program guide database supplier to the receiving device. OSD processor 1117 operates to generate R, G, and B video signals OSD_RGB in a conventional manner. The R, G, and B video signals OSD_RGB are shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 when connected to a display device (not shown), and display a display image representing on-screen display information in accordance with a flowchart described later. Generate. The OSD processor 1117 also generates a high-speed switching control signal (FSW) for controlling the high-speed switching so that the signal OSD_RGB is inserted into the video output signal of the system when the on-screen display is displayed. Therefore, when the user activates various user interface screens of the present invention, described below, the OSD processor 1117 may display corresponding on-screen display information previously stored or programmed in the memory 1127. To generate a signal OSD_RGB. For example, if the user enabled the EPG, for example, by activating a particular switch on the remote control 1125, the CPU 1112 enables the processor 1117. In response, processor 1117 generates signals OSD_RGB representing program guide data information previously extracted and previously stored in memory, as described above. Processor 1117 also generates a signal FSW indicating when the EPG is displayed. Video signal processor (VSP) 1155 performs conventional video signal processing functions such as luminance and chrominance signal processing. The output signal generated by VSP 1155 is suitable for coupling to a display device, such as a picture tube or LCD device (not shown), to generate a display image. VSP 1155 also has a high speed switch for coupling the signal generated by OSD processor 1117 to the output video signal path when graphics and / or text are included in the displayed image. The high speed switch is controlled by a control signal FSW generated by the OSD processor 1117 in the main microprocessor 1110 when text and / or graphics are displayed. The input signal of the VSP 1155 is a signal PIPV output by the picture-in-picture (PIP) processor 1140. When the user activates the PIP mode, signal PIPV represents a large image (large image) with a small image (small image) inserted therein. When PIP mode is not activated, signal PIPV simply represents a large image, ie, signal PIPV does not include a small image. The PIP processor 1140 implements the above functions in a conventional manner using features such as a video switch, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a RAM, and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) included in the device 1140. provide. As described above, the display data included in the EPG display is generated by the OSD processor 1117 and inserted into the output signal by the VSP 1155 in response to the fast switching signal FSW. When the controller 1110 detects activation of the EPG display, ie, when the user presses the appropriate key on the remote controller 1125, the controller 1110 An EPG display is generated using information such as program guidance data. The controller 1110 combines the EPG display data from the OSD processor 1117 and the video image signal with the VSP 1155 according to the signal FSW to generate a display including the EPG. The EPG can occupy all or only a portion of the display area. When the EPG display is activated, controller 1110 executes the EPG control program stored in EEPROM1127. The control program monitors the position of a position indicator, such as a cursor and / or highlight during EPG display. The user controls the position of the position indicator using the direction of the remote control 1125 and the select key. Alternatively, the system can have a mouse device. The controller 1110 detects the activation of the selection device, such as a click of a mouse button, determines the current cursor position information along with the displayed EPG data, and is desired to tune to a particular program, for example. Determine the function. Controller 1110 subsequently activates control actions associated with the selected feature. The embodiment of the system features illustrated in FIG. 2 thus described provides the basic PIP functionality described above for the ST9296 microprocessor, PIP processor 1140 from SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, which provides features related to mP1110. It includes a Mitsubishi Picture-in-Picture Processor M65616 and a Sanyo LA7612 Video Signal Processor that provides the functions of the VSP 1155. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another example of an electronic device capable of displaying a user command and an exemplary user interface screen according to the present invention. As described below, the system shown in FIG. 3 is an MPEG compatible system that receives an MPEG encoded transport stream representing a broadcast program. However, the system shown in FIG. 2 is merely an example. The user interface systems described herein are also applicable to other types of digital signal processing devices with other types of encoded data streams, including systems that are not MPEG compatible. For example, other devices include digital video disc (DVD) systems and MPEG program streams, and so-called "PCTVs" that combine computer and television functions. Further, the system described below is described as processing a broadcast program, but this is merely an example. The term "program" refers to all forms of packetized data, such as, for example, telephone messages, computer programs, Internet data, or other communications. In overview, in the video receiving system of FIG. 3, a carrier modulated with video data is received by antenna 10 and processed by device 15. The resulting digital output signal is demodulated at demodulator 20 and decoded at decoder 30. The output from decoder 30 is processed by transport system 25 responsive to commands from remote controller 125. The system 25 outputs the compressed data for storage and further decodes or communicates with other devices. Video and audio decoders 85 and 80 decode the compressed data from system 25, respectively, and output for display. Data port 75 is a communication interface for compressed data from system 25 to other devices, such as, for example, a computer or a high definition television (HDTV) receiver. The storage device 90 stores the compressed data from the system 25 on the recording medium 105. In playback mode, device 90 also compresses data that is decoded by system 25 and communicated to other devices or processed for storage on a different storage medium (not shown for simplicity of illustration). Take out from the recording medium 105. In the details of FIG. 3, the carrier modulated with the video data received by the antenna 10 is processed by the input processing device 15 and converted into a digital format. Processing unit 15 includes a radio frequency (RF) tuner, an intermediate frequency (IF) mixer, and an amplification stage that downconverts the input video signal to a constant frequency band suitable for further processing. The resulting digital output signal is demodulated at demodulator 20 and decoded at decoder 30. The output from decoder 30 is further processed in a transport system. The selector (mux) 37 of the service detector 33 is provided next to the selector 35 that selects either the output of the decoder 30 or the output of the decoder 30 which has been further processed by the descrambler 40. The descrambling device 40 is defined in, for example, ISO 7816 and NRS (National Renewable Security Standard) committee standard (NRSS removable conditional access system is defined in EIA draft document IS-679 and project PN-3639. ) May be a removable device, such as a smart card. The selector 35 detects the presence of an insertable and compatible descramble card and provides the output of the device 40 to the mux 37 if the card is currently inserted in the video receiving device. Otherwise, selector 35 provides the output of decoder 30 to mux 37. The presence of the insertable card allows the device 40 to further descramble the program channel and provide the viewer with, for example, additional program services. In a preferred embodiment, the NRSS device 40 and the smart card device 130 (the smart card device 130 is described below) share the same system interface, and only one of the NRSS card or the smart card can be inserted at a time. It should be noted that. The data supplied from the selector 35 to the mux 37 is in the form of a transport data stream packetized in accordance with the MPEG defined in the MPEG System Standard Chapter 2.4, and includes program guide information and one or more program channels. It has the data content of Individual packets of a particular program channel are identified by a packet identifier (PID). The transport stream has program specific information (PSI) that identifies the PID and is used to assemble individual data packets to recover the contents of the program channel containing the packetized data stream. Under the control of the system controller 115, the transport system 25 acquires program guide information from the Internet service provider via the input transport stream, the storage device 90, or the communication interface device 116, and organizes the information in order. An individual packet containing either a specific program channel content or program guide information is identified by a packet identifier (PID) included in the header information. As described above, the program description included in the program guide information has different program description fields related to the program, such as title, actor, rating, and the like. The user interface provided in the video receiver shown in FIG. 3 allows a user to activate various features by selecting a desired feature from an on-screen display (OSD) menu. The OSD menu may have the electronic program guide (EPG) described above and other features described below. The data displayed in the OSD menu may include on-screen display (OSD) information representing stored text / graphics, stored program guide information, and / or program guide and text received via the input signals described above. / Generated by the system controller 115 in response to graphics information and in accordance with the control program of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 and described below. The software control program can be stored in, for example, an embedded memory (not shown) of the system controller 115. The user can use the remote control device 125 (or other selection means such as a mouse) to specify a program to be viewed, a program to be stored (for example, recorded), a recording medium type, a recording method, and the like in the OSD menu. You can choose from. The system controller 115 uses the selection information provided via the interface 120 to configure the system 25 to select a program to record and display and to generate a PSI suitable for the selected recording device and medium. I do. The controller 115 sets the control register values in the components via the data bus and selects signal paths via selectors 37 and 110 controlled by the control signal C, thereby controlling the components of the system 25. 45, 47, 50, 55, 65 and 95 are set. In response to control signal C, mux 37 selects either a transport stream from device 35 or, in playback mode, a data stream retrieved from storage device 90 via storage interface 95. In a normal non-reproduction operation, a data packet having a program selected by the user for viewing is identified by the selection unit 45 by a PID. The device 45 supplies the packet to the decryption device 50 when the encryption indicator in the header data of the selected program packet indicates that the packet is encrypted. Otherwise, device 45 supplies the unencrypted packet to transport decoder 55. Similarly, data packets having the program selected by the user for storage are identified by the selection device 47 by PID. The device 47 supplies the encrypted packet to the decryption device 50 or the unencrypted packet to the mux 110 based on the packet header encryption instruction information. The functions of the decoders 40 and 50 may be performed on one removable smart card that is compatible with the NRSS standard. In this approach, all security related functions are easily replaced when the service provider decides to change the cryptographic technology or, for example, easily change the security system to descramble different services. Placed in a removable device where possible. The devices 45 and 47 use a PID detection filter that matches the PID of the input packet supplied by the mux 37 with the PID value stored in the registers in the devices 45 and 47 by the controller 115. The pre-stored PID is used in devices 45 and 47 to identify the data packets to be stored and the data packets to be decoded for use in providing video images. The PID stored in advance is stored in a search table in the devices 45 and 47. The PID lookup table is located in memory in an encryption key table in the devices 45 and 47 that associates an encryption key with each pre-stored PID. With the memory-located PID and encryption key lookup table, devices 45 and 47 can match the encrypted packet containing the pre-stored PID with the associated encryption key for decryption. Unencrypted packets do not have an associated encryption key. Devices 45 and 47 supply both the identified packet and the encryption key to decryptor 50. The PID lookup table in the device 45 is memory located in the destination table that matches the packet with the pre-stored PID with the corresponding destination buffer location in the packet buffer 60. The encryption key and destination buffer location adols associated with the program selected by the user for viewing and storage are preloaded into devices 45 and 47 along with the PID assigned by controller 115. The encryption key is generated by a smart card system according to ISO 7816-3 from an encryption code extracted from the input data stream. The generation of a cryptographic key requires a customer qualification determined from code information pre-stored in the input data stream and / or on the insertable smart card itself. (International Organization for Standardization, ISO 7816-3, 1989, defines the interface and signal structure of the smart card system.) The packets supplied by the devices 45 and 47 to the device 50 are transmitted to the National Technical Information Service. Services, the Department of Commerce, and the Data Encryption Standard defined by the Federal Information Standard (FIPS) Publications 46, 74 and 81, provided by the Department of Commercial. nd, DES). Apparatus 50 applies the appropriate decryption techniques to the selected encryption algorithm to decrypt the encrypted packet using the corresponding encryption key provided by apparatus 45 and 47. The decrypted packet from device 50 with the displayed program and the unencrypted packet from device 45 are provided to decryptor 55. The decrypted packet from device 50 with the stored program and the unencrypted packet from device 47 are provided to mux 110. Device 60 has four packet buffers accessible by controller 115. One buffer is allocated to hold data used by the controller 115, and the other three buffers are allocated to hold data used by the application devices 75, 80, and 85. Access to the packet stored in the buffer in the device 60 by both the controller 115 and the application interface 70 is controlled by the buffer control device 65. Device 45 provides a destination flag to device 65 for each packet identified by device 45 for decoding. The flag indicates the destination position of each device 60 of the identified packet, and is stored by the control device 65 in an internal memory table. The control device 65 determines a series of read / write pointers related to the packets stored in the buffer 60 based on a first-in first-out (FIFO) principle. The write pointer allows the recognized packet from device 45 or 50 to be continuously stored at the next free location in the appropriate destination buffer in device 60. The read pointer allows the controller 115 and the application interface 70 to continuously read packets from the destination buffer of the appropriate device 60. The unencrypted and decrypted packets supplied to the decoder 55 from the devices 45 and 50 have a transport header, as defined in the MPEG system standard section 2.4.3.2. The decoder 55 determines from the transport header whether the unencrypted packet and the decrypted packet have an adaptation field (according to the MPEG system standard). The adaptation field has, for example, timing information including a program clock reference (PCR) that enables synchronization and decoding of the content packet. Upon detecting a timing information packet, which is a packet having an adaptation field, the decoder 55 sets a system interrupt and informs the controller 115 via the interrupt mechanism that the packet has been received. In addition, the decoder 55 changes the timing packet destination flag in the device 65 and supplies the packet to the device 60. By changing the destination flag of the device 65, the device 65 may use the timing information packet provided by the decoder 55 instead of the application buffer location to allocate the device 60 to hold the data used by the controller 115. To the buffer position. Upon receiving the system interrupt set by the decoder 55, the controller 115 reads the timing information and the PCR value and stores them in the internal memory. The PCR values of successive timing information packets are used by the controller 115 to adjust the master clock (27 MHz) of the system 25. The difference between the PCR and the master clock based estimate of the time interval between successive timing packets is generated by the controller 115 and used to adjust the system 25 master clock. The controller 115 accomplishes this by providing and adjusting the resulting time estimate difference to the input control voltage of the voltage controlled oscillator used to generate the master clock. The controller 115 releases the system interrupt after accumulating the timing information in the internal memory. Packets received by the decoder 55 from the devices 45 and 50 and having program content including audio, video, caption, and other information are transmitted by the device 65 from the decoder 55 to the designated application device in the packet buffer 60. Sent to the buffer. The application control device 70 sequentially retrieves audio, video, caption, and other data from the designated buffers in the buffer 60, and supplies the data to the corresponding application devices 75, 80, and 85. The application has audio and video decoders 80 and 85 and a high-speed data port 75. For example, the packet data shown in FIG. 5 and corresponding to the composite program guide generated by controller 115 as described above is suitable for display on a monitor (not shown) connected to video decoder 85. It may be sent to a video decoder 85 for formatting into a video signal. For example, the data port 75 may be used to supply high-speed data such as a computer program to a computer, for example. Alternatively, port 75 may be used to output data to an HDTV decoder, for example, to display an image corresponding to a selected program or program guide. The packet with the PSI information is recognized by device 45 as being directed to the controller 115 buffer in device 60. The PSI packet is directed to this buffer by device 65 via devices 45, 50 and 55 in a manner similar to that described by the packet with the program content. The controller 115 reads the PSI from the device 60 and stores it in the internal memory. Controller 115 generates a compressed PSI from the stored PSI and incorporates the CPSI into a packetized data stream suitable for storage on a selected storage medium. The packet identification and direction are controlled by the controller 115 in the manner described above, along with the PID, destination and encryption key lookup tables of the devices 45 and 47, and the function of the control device 65. In addition, the controller 115 is connected to a communication interface unit 116 that operates similarly to the interface unit 1113 in FIG. That is, the device 116 can upload and download information from the Internet. Communication interface unit 116 includes, for example, a modem that connects to an Internet service provider via, for example, a telephone line or cable television line. Communication capabilities provide the system shown in FIG. 3 with Internet-related features, such as electronic mail capabilities and web browsing, in addition to receiving television programs. FIG. 4 illustrates a particular use of the above-described electronic device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows a DirectTV provided by fuse electronics. ^TV 1 illustrates a satellite receiver set-top box designed and manufactured by Thomson Consumer Electronics of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA to receive satellite services. As shown in FIG. 4, the set-top box has a tuner 301 that receives and tunes an applicable satellite RF signal in the range of 950-1450 Mhz from satellite antenna 317. The tuned analog signal is output to coupling module 302 for further processing. The coupling module 302 is responsible for further processing the tuned analog signals I_out and Q_out from the tuner 301, filtering and adjusting the analog signals, and converting the analog signals to a digital output signal DATA. The connection module 302 is used as an integrated circuit (IC). The connecting module IC is manufactured by SGS Thomson Microelectronics, Grenoble, France and has part number ST15339-610. Digital output DATA from concatenation module 302 comprises a packetized data stream that is recognized and processed by transport device 303. The data stream described in detail in connection with FIG. ^TV Has program guide information for satellite broadcasting services from and data content of one or more program channels. As described above, the program guide data includes information related to the program format (for example, audio only, video only, etc.) indicated in a “class” format, for example. The function of the transport device 303 is the same as that of the transport system 25 shown in FIG. As described above, the transport device 303 processes the packetized data stream according to the packet identifier (PID) included in the header information. The processed data stream is formatted into MPEG compatible compressed audio and video packets and coupled to MPEG combiner 304 for further processing. The transport device 303 is controlled by an advanced RISC microprocessor (ARM), which is a microprocessor based on RISC. The ARM microprocessor executes control software residing in ROM 308. Examples of software components are the control programs described below, which display user interface command processing and display OSD information in accordance with the present invention. The transport device 303 is typically used as an integrated circuit. For example, in a suitable embodiment, an IC manufactured by SGS Thomson Microelectronics has part number ST15273-810 or 15103-65C. MPEG compatible compressed audio and video packets from transport device 303 are sent to MPEG decoder 304. The MPEG decoder decodes the compressed MPEG data stream from the transport device 303. Decoder 304 outputs an applicable audio stream that is further processed by audio-to-digital-analog converter (DAC) 305 and converted from digital audio data to analog audio. Decoder 304 outputs applicable digital video data representing pixel information of the image to NTSC encoder 306. The NTSC encoder 306 further processes the video data into an NTSC compatible analog video signal, and the video image is displayed on a normal NTSC television screen. The MPEG decoder described above can be used in integrated circuits. One embodiment is an MPEG decoding IC manufactured by SGS Thomson Microelectronics, with part number STI3520. The MPEG processor 304 has an OSD processor 320. OSD processor 320 reads data from SDRAM 316 in which OSD information is stored. The OSD information corresponds to a bitmap of the OSD graphics / text image. The OSD processor changes the color and transparency of each pixel of the OSD image under control of the ARM microprocessor 315 in a conventional manner. The OSD processor generates the program guide example shown in FIG. 5 under the control of the ARM microprocessor 315. In an embodiment, upon detection of a user request to generate a guidance display, ARM microprocessor 315 processes the program guidance data information obtained from the data stream provided by the program guidance information supplier and converts the guidance data information to FIG. It is formatted into OSD pixel data corresponding to the “grid-like guide” shown. The OSD pixel data from the transport device 303 is sent to the above-described OSD processor 320 in the MPEG audio / video decoder 304 that generates the guide image. As shown in FIG. 5, "grid guide" 500 typically occupies a display screen. The grid guide 500 shows a program schedule in a time and channel format, similar to a TV schedule in a newspaper. In particular, one axis of guidance indicates time information (eg, horizontal) and the other axis of guidance indicates channel information (eg, vertical). The time information informs the user that there is a time line 501 at the top of the guidance, and is divided at intervals of 30 minutes. The channel information is transmitted to the user with channel numbers 510 to 516 and channel station names 520 to 526. In addition, the program guide 500 has an Internet icon 550 and an electronic mail icon 560. By clicking these icons, the user searches the Internet and sends / receives electronic mail via the communication interface device 307. In addition, Internet website icons can also be incorporated into the grid-like program guide. For example, clicking on "ESPN.com" in grid 570 will automatically connect the user to, for example, the ESPN website. The low speed data port 330 is used to connect an IR transmitter (not shown) for controlling the VCR that records the program. As previously mentioned, the IR transmitter is basically a programmable VCR remote control emulator controlled by the satellite receiver shown in FIG. The IR transmitter is placed in front of a VCR remote sensor attached to the VCR and "on" and "record" under control performed by the satellite receiver at the appropriate times according to timer screen information entered by the user. Send a command like Further related functional blocks in FIG. 4 provide a modem 307 corresponding to the communication interface device 116 of FIG. 3 and conditional access information, for example, corresponding to the NRSS decryptor 130 shown in FIG. 3 to access the Internet. A condition access module (CAM) 309 is provided. The wideband data module 310 corresponds to the high-speed data port 75 shown in FIG. 3 and supplies, for example, high-speed data for accessing an HDTV decoder or a computer. The keyboard / IR receiver module 312 corresponds to the remote device interface 120 shown in FIG. 3 for receiving user control commands from the user control device 314. The digital AV bus module 313 corresponds to the I / O port 100 shown in FIG. 3 for connecting to an external device such as a VCR or a DVD playback device. 6 to 8 show flowcharts of examples of control programs, either by the CPU 1112 of FIG. 2 or by the controller 115 of FIG. 3 or by the ARM microprocessor 315 of FIG. 4 to use the features according to the invention. Be executed. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that control programs executed by any of the systems described in FIGS. 2-4 provide the same features according to the present invention. Therefore, in order to prevent redundancy, the example of the control program shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 is described below only with respect to the example of using the hardware shown in FIG. As described above, in the system shown in FIG. 4, the user can select a program, for example, by simply highlighting the grid having the desired program in the electronic program guide shown in FIG. In addition, if the selected program is paid (pay-per-view), the ARM controller 315 of the system shown in FIG. 4 causes the OSD processor 320 to display an example of a “program details” screen shown in FIG. FIG. 9 shows an example screen 900 showing the user with further selections and detailed information about the selected paid program. For example, the detailed information has an area 950 having a program title, topic, theme, rating, start time, show time, price, summary, and the like. In addition, screen 900 provides the user with some user selection actions. The user actions include "view channel" 910, "channel guide" 920, "program purchase" 930, and "purchase and record" 940, described below. If the user selects "view channel" 910, ARM processor 315 tunes the system of FIG. 4 to the channel corresponding to the selected program and displays the program's preview (if any). . If the user selects "Channel Guide" 920, ARM processor 315 causes the system to return to displaying the program guide shown in FIG. As shown in step 602 of FIG. 6A, the user is further provided with a selection of “Purchase Program” 930 and “Purchase and Record” 940. If the user selects to purchase the program at step 605, the ARM processor first sets the variable "record" to zero (0) at step 607. ARM processor 315 then checks in step 619 if the user has exceeded the purchase limit. The purchase limit is the same as the card limit preset for credit cards, limiting the financial risk to pay-per-view service providers and preventing potential fraud. As shown in step 625, if the preset card limit has not been exceeded, ARM processor 315 continues processing and accumulates purchase information for the selected pay-per-view program. Basically, the ARM processor 315 accumulates, for example, the start and end times of the selected program, tunes the tuner 301 to the appropriate channel, and decodes the pay-per-view program purchased at the appropriate time. Once the purchase information has been processed, as shown in step 625, the ARM processor 315 checks whether the "record" variable is set to 1 indicating a recording request. In this case, since it is only purchase, “record” has been previously set to zero in step 607. Therefore, the control program branches to “A” in step 650 of FIG. 6B. On the other hand, if the user selects to purchase and record the program, the control program shown in FIG. 6A branches to step 609. In addition, if this selection is made, an additional charge for recording on tape is displayed by the OSD processor to inform the user that an additional charge will be incurred. The ARM processor 315 sets the “record” variable to 1 in step 611. The ARM processor checks at step 615 whether the timer slot programmed to record the selection is still valid. FIG. 11 shows an example of a timer screen 1190 that programs various times and programs the user to watch or record the program in advance. As shown in FIG. 11, eight timer slots 1191 to 1198 are effective in this embodiment. Timer screen 1190 may be displayed, for example, when the user selects a “Timer” button on user control 314 or highlights a “Timer” selection from a main menu (not shown). . By completing the sentence 1199 on the screen, the user can select one of the eight timers 1191 to 1198 to be programmed for recording and viewing the program. Setting a timer to record and watch a program by completing a sentence is described in detail in U.S. Patent No. 5,682,206 to Wehmeyer et al. When the statement is completed, "start timer operation" is selected to complete the timer program of the selected timer. Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 6A, at step 615, if the empty timer is valid, the ARM processor 315 continues to check the user's credit limit, shown at step 619, above. If the preset limit for this user has not been exceeded, as indicated at step 625, the ARM processor 315 continues processing and at step 625, the purchase information for the selected pay-per-view program is retrieved as described above. To accumulate. At step 611, the control program is subsequently checked for a timer conflict at step 629 since the "record" variable indicating that the program has also been selected for recording is set to one. For example, a timer collision exists when any two timers shown in the timer screen 1190 of FIG. 11 are programmed at times that overlap each other. For example, if Timer 1 is programmed to start at 9:00 am and end at 10:00 am and Timer 3 is programmed to start at 9:30 am and end at 10:30 am on the same day Collide. Due to the respective portions of the program time which overlap each other, in this case timers 1 and 3 collide. This creates a problem, for example, because the system shown in FIG. 4 can only output one program at a time. In order to inform the user of timer collision information, the example screen shown in FIG. 11 has a symbol alerting the user that the timer has a time collision. For example, as shown in screen 1190 of FIG. 11, the symbols are broken clock planes 1181 and 1182, which appear next to timers 1191 and 1193, respectively. The symbol informs the user that Timer 1 and Timer 3 have a time conflict and that the user can be programmed to avoid any timer conflict. At step 629 of FIG. 6A, if there is a timer conflict selected, the ARM microprocessor 315 causes the OSD processor 320 to display a timer conflict screen (not shown) for the user to resolve the timer conflict. . An example of a timer collision screen is simply a warning message to the user that the user has a timer collision and that the user has been given the option of canceling the program selection or avoiding the collision. If the user chooses to avoid timer conflicts, the program of FIG. 6A confirms the password or confirms that the password has been validated, and in step 633 grants the user the right to change the timer. After the password is confirmed, the ARM processor causes the OSD processor 320 to display, for example, the timer display screen 1190 of FIG. 11, so that the user can avoid a timer collision. The user can avoid timer collision by changing or selecting a timer that conflicts with the timer of the currently selected program. The new timer information of the changed timer is accumulated, and the timer flag is set to 1 in step 641. Jump to program point A in step 650 of FIG. 6B. The purchase and recording operation of the user's program continues at step 645, and the ARM processor 315 prompts the user to confirm the purchase. If the user confirms the purchase, the ARM processor 315 updates the relevant program register, sets the variable “PURCH-FLAG” to 1, and stores the purchase information in the memory. Perform the process of approval. The ARM processor 315 checks in step 649 if a "timer flag" is set to 1, indicating that recording has been selected and there is no timer collision. If the timer flag is set to 1, the ARM processor 315 stores this program in a program list indicating the program to be recorded. As shown in step 651, the ARM processor 315 first selects an available timer from a list of timers, for example, as shown in FIG. ARM processor 315 automatically fills in blank fields in the selected timer's program statement 1199 with the information associated with the selected program. Thereby, the selected program is recorded at an appropriate time. After the timer is set correctly in step 651, the control program returns to the input point (POE) in step 601. At this point, when the user invokes the timer display screen 1190 shown in FIG. 11, the screen indicates that the pay-per-view program has been automatically programmed into timer 2 by the ARM processor 315. This can be seen by looking at the time of this pay-per-view program and the information on the programming statement 1199 corresponding to the "record" command being selected in the programming statement 1199. Further, the "$" symbol next to timer 2 (i.e., request element 1192) indicates to the viewer that it has been purchased or that it is pay-per-view. An unbroken clock next to the "@" symbol indicates that there is no collision between timer 2 and another timer. 7 and 8 illustrate an automatic adjustment between a user action of programming a timer and programming a purchase in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 7 shows a flowchart for processing a user operation for clearing one of the timers 1191 to 1198 shown in FIG. The user selects the timer to be cleared first, eg, timer 2 of FIG. 11, and highlights “Clear Timer 2” 1183 using user control 314. Once the "clear timer 2" 1183 is selected, it is first determined whether the selected timer 2 is related to the purchase, as indicated by whether the variable PURCH_FLAG shown in step 701 is set to one. It is determined. If the timer is associated with a purchased pay-per-view program, the ARM processor 315 displays the example display screen 1200 shown in FIG. The display screen 1200 includes a description related to purchase similar to that shown in FIG. 9 described above. The screen has a selection of “cancel purchase” 1201. If the user highlights this selection, as shown in step 705, the purchase is canceled as shown in step 707. The program clears timer 2 as indicated by step 709. Next, the program PURCH_FLAG is set to 0, since this program is no longer purchased. The program in FIG. 7 jumps to the input point (POE) at step 715 and returns. FIG. 8 shows a flowchart for canceling the purchase of a program according to the present invention. In step 801, the user requests the ARM processor 315 to display a list of future purchases by highlighting the "Upcoming purchases" selection in the example user interface display screen 1000 shown in FIG. The user selects a specific program in the list by using the navigation keys of the user control device 314. Once the program is selected in step 803, the ARM processor displays the above-described program details screen shown in FIG. Again, screen 1200 includes a selection of “cancel purchase” 1201. If the user highlights this selection at step 805, the purchase is canceled, as shown at step 807. The program of FIG. 8 checks at step 809 whether the purchased program has, for example, an associated timer that records the program. If there is a timer associated with this program, it is automatically cleared, as shown in step 811. The program jumps back to the input point (POE) at step 813. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above-described embodiments and modifications are illustrative only and that various modifications may be utilized without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Procedure for Amendment] Article 184-8, Paragraph 1 of the Patent Act [Submission Date] July 13, 1999 (July 13, 1999) [Contents of Amendment] Furthermore, these satellite broadcast receivers are, for example, shown in FIG. 1B. The user can select a program to be recorded on the VCR connected to the receiver via the "timer" screen shown in FIG. Once the user has entered the required information (eg, channel number, start time, end time), the receiver will tell the infrared (IR) transmitter to properly control the VCR at a preselected time. Will send instructions to The IR transmitter is basically a remote control emulator of a programmable VCR controlled by a satellite receiver. The IR transmitter is located in front of the VCR remote sensor attached to the VCR, and according to the timer screen information entered by the user, at the appropriate time, under the control of the satellite receiver, such as "ON" or "RECORD". Send instructions. Currently, there is no connection or coordination between the two processes, or between the associated user screen and the record for making a program purchase. That is, for example, a user who wants to purchase and record a program needs to provide information by inputting two separate user screens (for example, a “purchase” and a “timer” screen) separately for purchase processing and recording processing. is there. Further, since there is no connection between the two processes, a user who wants to cancel the program from the purchase process and the recording process must basically do the same twice. This is time consuming and inefficient. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is desirable to coordinate and combine the process of purchasing a program with the process of recording a program. Therefore, an apparatus and a method for processing a plurality of programs are provided with the following features. Claims 1. An apparatus for receiving a plurality of programs, comprising: a user interface unit for selecting one program from the plurality of programs and selecting a user operation; and a first user operation for selecting a first program to be recorded. A first list representing a list of programs to be recorded is stored in accordance with a second user action of storing the first program and selecting a second program for both purchase and recording. An apparatus comprising: a controller that stores the second program in a second list representing a list of programs, and a controller that stores the second program also in the first list. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first list comprises a timer collision indication for a program having a timer collision. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first list includes a purchase indication for the second program. 4. The controller may first determine whether there is a timer conflict between the second program on the first list and another program before storing the second program in the first list. The apparatus of claim 1 for determining. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller prompts a user to avoid the timer collision if there is the timer collision. 6. An apparatus for processing a program, comprising: a controller displaying a first list representing a program selected for recording; and displaying a second list representing a program selected for purchase. An apparatus comprising: a controller; and the controller for automatically entering the program into the first list and the second list in response to a user selection of the program for both purchase and record. 7. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first list comprises a timer collision indication for a program having a timer collision. 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first list includes a purchase indication for the program. 9. 7. The controller first determines whether there is a timer conflict between the program on the first list and another program before entering the program into the first list. 8. Equipment. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller prompts a user to avoid the timer collision if there is the timer collision. 11. An apparatus for processing a plurality of programs, comprising: a user interface unit for selecting one program from the plurality of programs and selecting a user operation; and a first user operation for canceling a first program to be recorded. A list of purchased programs according to a second user action of deleting the first program from a first list representing a list of programs to be recorded and canceling the second program for purchase. And deleting the second program from the second list, and if the second program exists in the first list, the second program is also deleted from the first list. A device having a controller to be deleted. 12. An apparatus for processing a program, comprising means for displaying on a screen a first list representing the program selected for recording, and a second means representing the program selected for purchase. Display means for displaying a list on a screen; user control means for deleting the program from the first and second lists; and responding to the user deletion for deleting the program from the second list. A control unit that automatically deletes the program from the first list when the second program exists in the first list. 13. A method of processing a plurality of programs, wherein: a step of selecting a first program to be recorded from the plurality of programs; a step of storing the first program in a first list; Selecting a second program for storing; storing the second program in a second list representing purchased programs; and automatically storing the second program in the first list. Accumulating in the memory. 14． Before accumulating the second program in the first list, further comprising determining whether there is a timer conflict between the second program on the first list and another program. The method according to claim 13. 15. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising prompting a user to avoid the timer collision if the timer collision is present. 16. A method of processing a plurality of programs, comprising: selecting a first program to delete from a first list representing a list of programs selected for recording; and a second representing a list of purchased programs. Selecting a second program to be deleted from the list; determining whether the second program is also present in the first list; and presenting the second program in the first list. If so, automatically removing said second program from said first list. 17． A method of processing a program, comprising: deleting a program from a first program list representing a program to be recorded according to a user instruction; and determining whether the program is a purchased program. A method comprising: if the program is a further purchased program, automatically removing the program from a second program list representing the purchased program.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page    (81) Designated country EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE), OA (BF, BJ , CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, KE, L S, MW, SD, SZ, UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ , BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AL , AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, CA, CH, CN, CU, CZ, DE, DK, E E, ES, FI, GB, GE, GH, GM, GW, HU , ID, IL, IS, JP, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, M D, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL , PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, UA, UG, US, U Z, VN, YU, ZW (72) Inventors Geiss, Jerome Paul             United States Indiana 46060               Knowblesville Pinebrook Do             Live 4825 (72) Inventor Randall, Darrell Wayne             United States Indiana 46122               Danville West US Ha             Iway 36 2324 (72) Inventor McClain, Michael Joseph             United States Indiana 46240               Indianapolis Sherwood Do             Live 720 (72) Inventor Brown, Megan Louise             United States Indiana 46033               Carmel Rolling Springs             Drive 11321 (72) Inventor Westlake, Mark Sheridan             United States Indiana 46038               Fishers Connor Knowle Par             Quay 13105

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for receiving a plurality of programs,   Select one program from the plurality of programs and select user operation User interface means for   Recorded according to a first user action of selecting a first program to be recorded Accumulating said first program in a first list representing a list of programs to be powered And a second user action to select a second program for both purchasing and recording. According to the work, a second list representing a list of purchased programs is added to the second list. Store a program and store the second program in the first list as well And a controller that performs the operation. 2. The first list is a timer collision table for programs having a timer collision. The apparatus of claim 1 having an indication. 3. The first list includes a purchase indication for the second program. On-board equipment. 4. The controller stores the second program in the first list Before, the program between the second program on the first list and another program is The apparatus of claim 1, wherein first determining whether there is an image collision. 5. The controller, when there is the timer collision, the timer 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus prompts the user to avoid an imaginary collision. 6. An apparatus for processing a program,   A screen displaying a first list representing the program selected for recording. Display means on the lean;   Display a second list representing the programs selected to purchase and record Means for displaying on a screen,   User control means for inputting the program into the first and second lists;   In response to the user input for inputting the program to the second list, Control means for dynamically inputting the program into the first list. 7. The first list is a timer collision table for programs having a timer collision. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, comprising an indication. 8. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first list includes a purchase indication for the program. Place. 9. Before entering the program into the first list, A timer conflict between the second program on the first list and another program; 7. The device of claim 6, wherein it is first determined whether there is a bump. 10. The controller, if there is the timer collision, the timer collision The device of claim 9, prompting the user to avoid. 11. An apparatus for processing a plurality of programs,   Select one program from the plurality of programs and select user operation User interface means for   According to a first user action of canceling a first program to be recorded, From a first list representing a list of programs to be run, Second user action to delete and cancel the second program for purchase From the second list representing the list of purchased programs according to the second Deleting the program and deleting the second program from the first list as well. An apparatus having a controller to remove. 12. An apparatus for processing a program,   A screen displaying a first list representing the program selected for recording. Display means on the lean;   A screen that displays a second list representing the program selected to make the purchase. Display means on the lean;   User control means for deleting the program from the first and second lists;   From the second list, according to the user deletion for deleting the program, Control means for automatically deleting the program from the first list. Place. 13. A method of processing a plurality of programs,   Selecting a first program to be recorded from the plurality of programs; ,   Storing the first program in a first list;   Selecting a second program for both purchase and record;   Storing the second program in a second list;   Storing the second program in the first list. . 14． Before storing the second program in the first list, the first program Whether there is a timer collision between the second program on the list and another program 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of determining 15. If there is the timer collision, the user is required to avoid the timer collision. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of: 16. A method of processing a plurality of programs,   Delete from the first list representing the list of programs selected for recording Selecting a first program to be executed;   A second program to be removed from the second list representing the list of purchased programs Selecting a system,   A step for determining whether the second program is also present in the first list; Tep,   If the second program is present in the first list, the first program Automatically removing the second program from the list. 17． A method of processing a program, the method comprising:   A first program representing a program to be recorded according to a user instruction; Removing the program from the program list;   Determining whether the program is a purchased program;   If the program is a purchased program, the purchased program Deleting the program from the second program list representing the program. how to.